Big bucks? We've got 'em

November 19, 2006

When Hoosier hunters headed for the woods Saturday morning, they had one thing on their minds -- big heavy antlered bucks. Maybe even a record. "There's not better time to kill a big buck that right now -- the first weekend of gun season," said John Bogucki, record keeper for the Indiana Deer Hunters Association Hoosier Record Book. "The majority of the big bucks taken each year come the first weekend of gun season." The odds of a record? Pretty darn good, said Bogucki, who believes that Indiana's one-buck rule is leading to a growing a number of deer that now qualify for the record book. "There's no doubt in my mind the one-buck rule is making a huge difference in the number of older bucks hunters are seeing," said Bogucki, who is an official scorer for several organizations, including Commemorative Bucks of Michigan, Pope and Young and Boone and Crockett. This marks the fifth season in which Indiana hunters were limited to taking only one buck during the year. Over the past few years, the number of deer making the Hoosier Record Book has grown from 345 to 371 and Bogucki expects it to approach 400 this year. And not all of those are coming from southern Indiana, once believed to be the hotbed for giant bucks. "Northern Indiana no longer takes a backseat to any region of the state when it comes to trophy deer," noted Bogucki. In 2005, Kosciusko County produced the most record deer in northern Indiana with 13. That was followed by Steuben County with 10, Noble County with nine, and Fulton and DeKalb County with 8. Marshall County had six record qualifiers while St. Joseph had two. LaPorte County had three and Elkhart had none. Interestingly, Porter County didn't make the book last year yet it produced the state's largest non-typical buck in 2000 and 2002 and the largest typical in 2001. Deer antlers are scored with a measuring/mathematical formula that takes into consideration rack mass, antler length and number of points/sizes of points. There are two types of antlers -- typical, the most common, and non-typical in which the rack includes abnormal points. To make the Hoosier Book, a deer must score a minimum of 140 to make it as a typical and 160 as non-typical. The biggest typical buck ever killed in Indiana was taken in 1985 by a Posey County bow hunter and scored 195 1/8. The state's largest non-typical was shot with a shotgun in 1977 in Switzerland County. It scored an incredible 254 1/8. "I've been told that it will be displayed in a Cabela's store that will be opening in northwest Indiana next year," noted Bogucki. Here are the highest scoring deer that topped nearby counties in 2005: St. Joseph: Typical -- Warren Cornell, 143 4/8, with muzzleloader. Non-Typical -- Anthony Weaver, 163, with a bow. Marshall: Typical -- Bernie Reichard, 153 7/8, with a bow. Non-typical -- Evan Young, 170 4/8. Oddly enough, Young didn't kill the deer; he found it dead. The record book has a special category for those deer. LaPorte County: Typical -- Kevin Richard, 158 6/8, with a bow; Non-typical -- Eric Koselak, 165 4/8 with a muzzleloader. Bogucki says northeastern Indiana, especially Noble County, generally produce the most trophies during a season. "For deer to grow to record sizes, they have to be allowed to grow up," explained the Clay High School biology teacher. "That means the smaller bucks aren't being hunted as hard. However, genetics and nutrients in the soil where they are feeding have a lot to do with it, too. That's why some of these counties produce big bucks year after year." Louie Stout Commentary